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September 28, 2012

I first saw this movie some ears ago and, frankly, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It is a movie that I was totally expecting to enjoy, but in the aftermath, felt rather indifferent towards it. I suspect I came across it at the wrong time in my development as a movie fan. Now, some years later, I have an opportunity to revisit it and I am glad for it. I doubt I will ever rank it among my favorites, but I have a much better respect for this bizarre, low-budget oddity.

September 27, 2012

Judge Dredd is a character I am only vaguely familiar with. He comic book shops I frequented back in the day never seemed to have any of the books. However, I was a character I had heard of and was definitely intrigued by. I am almost embarrassed to say most of knowledge came from the song that Anthrax song they wrote about him, "I Am the Law." Man, I love that song. There was also the 1995 movie with Sylvester Stallone which, while corny fun, is not a good representation of the hard nosed character. Now there is a new interpretation on town, Dredd.

September 24, 2012

I am probably the last person who should be reviewing this movie. If you know me, you know my tastes tend towards the metal side of the equation. I am not exclusively metal, mind you, but I do shy away from pop music. I understand it as a necessity and I understand that some of these people do have talent. At the same time, I am much more likely to make a sarcastic comment about it than anything else. With that said, I don't hate Katy Perry, I could not exactly be called a fan, but I don't hate her or her music.

September 20, 2012

There is something about the Resident Evil movies that I just love. I mean that with all seriousness. There are a lot of people who will mock the series, complain about how it has widely diverged from the game series, or just see them as entertaining trifles. Not me. They connect with me on some strange level. It is a franchise that never ceases to entertain me with their level of nonsense. The creative team behind these films subscribe to a bigger is better sensibility where logic has no place.

September 19, 2012

If you have not seen Cabin in the Woods, stop reading this, do not read anything about the movie and go see it. Hopefully I found you in time and you haven't already read too much. Don't worry, this will still be here when you get back. In all seriousness, this is one of those movies where the less you know about it, the better. After you see it, you are going to want to sit back down and watch it again. That is how I felt immediately upon leaving the theater and each of the times I have watched it on disk. It doesn't get old and never fails to entertain. Plus, once you know what is going on, you are free to look at the other details throughout the film.

September 18, 2012

I love this sort of movie. This is a B-movie, a second-tier action film centered on the ability of the lead to carry you through. If this was made a quarter-century ago it would have surely starred someone like Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme. It is an over the top action vehicle with a thin story to carry you from one action sequence to the next. This time out it is called Safe and it stars Jason Statham, a star seemingly cut from cloth similar to those action stars of yesteryear. Safe should play well on a double bill with movies like Out for Justice and Showdown in Little Tokyo.

September 11, 2012

The Raid: Redemption seemed to spring up out of nowhere earlier this year. I was quietly going about my business and then it was all over the place. I began to see a lot of positive buzz surrounding this Indonesian action film with a lot of praise for its extensive action sequences and impressive fight choreography. Being a big fan of action and martial arts films, I knew I had to see it. See it I did. Believe me when I tell you it is a thing of beauty. It is an action film that caters to the adrenaline junkie unlike most films hitting the screens these days.

September 10, 2012

What can I say about Branded that hasn't already been said? Probably a lot. Considering I haven't heard or seen anyone discussing the film and I was the only person in the theater on a Saturday afternoon, I could probably say just about anything about it. Let me start simply by saying the movie is a mess. It may have a couple of interesting ideas buried within its frames, but you'll have to sift trough everything else to get to them.

September 9, 2012

Some movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, but for whatever reason never make it there. There are also movies that seem to end up on the big screen by default when they have no right being there. I am sure sure that many of you can think of movies on both sides of the equation. In my experience this happens with horror a lot, think of movies like Creature and The Collector making the big screen while movies like Trick 'r Treat don't. I boggles the mind. The Mabrouck El Mechri directed thriller, The Cold Light of Day, probably shouldn't have seen said light of day.

September 6, 2012

There are some movies that I enjoy but are not really all that good movies. I am thinking that The Viral Factor is one of them. It is a flashy action movie in the vein of Michael Bay and firmly entrenched in the Hollywood tradition. However, while it is explosive in the way the budget is thrown around the screen, the story is on the thin side, built on coincidence and faux melodrama.

September 5, 2012

The next entry in the Child's Play franchise went into production today. This news will likely be greeted with a roll of the eyes as you wonder why they would do such a thing. Hopefully, there are a few of you out there that are more like me, intrigued about the possibility of a positive return to horror for the iconic doll.

September 4, 2012

It was sometime back in early 2010, I had stumbled across an article, I believe it was at Bloody Disgusting or perhaps Shock til ya Drop, that spoke of the original Evil Dead was going on tour. A 35mm print of the film was going to be making stops at various theaters around the country. I figured there was no way it would be anywhere near me, but it couldn't hurt to take a look at the schedule. Much to my surprise, I found it was coming to Poughkeepsie, NY, to play a something called The Hudson Horror Show. I was certainly excited at the prospect of seeing it on he big screen.

September 2, 2012

David Cronenberg has crafted some amazing films per the years. Just look at the likes of Videodrome and Naked Lunch, or even Scanners, The Fly, and The Brood, and don't forget recent critical favorites like A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. He has even appeared in some fan favorites over the years like Nightbreed and Jason X. However, for as fascinating a filmmaker as he is, there is the occasional film that I cannot crack. It is not that I am all that smart, but the movie in question is an egg I cannot crack.

I've said it before and I will likely say it again, The Exorcist ruined exorcism movies. This is not a wholly negative statement, but you have to admit, whenever you see an exorcism movie, you are comparing it to The Exorcist. It is just the way things are. When you have a movie that succeeds so well, is considered an all time great, and regularly tops scariest movie polls, it is hard to follow it up with something that feels fresh. Fortunately, or not, filmmakers continue to try and make new ones. They are no all terrible, but none of the, are The Exorcist either.

September 1, 2012

Lawless is a movie that, for some unknown reason, I kept mixing up with Gangster Squad. I don't know why, hey are clearly quite different movies. Whatever the case may be, Lawless is now in theaters and I should, theoretically be able to differentiate the two now. Lawless is a Depression-era movie that is based on the true story of a trio of bootlegging brothers, bucking Prohibition and making a boat load of cash in the process. It doesn't hurt they were located on the nation's wettest county where law enforcement was more than willing to help move the moonshine.